Browse Police Fitness Articles

Here is an email from a man you likes to exercise as much as myself, but just cannot drop that last bit of fat off his stomach area: Stew - what gives? I have been busting my butt for years working out with running, calisthenics, weights nearly 5-6 days a week and still have trouble around my mid-section. I am in ...

Often I receive emails from military and law enforcement personnel concerning how fair a fitness test is and does it accurately measure someone’s fitness level. For instance, here is an email from one police officer who is seeking candidates for his department’s SWAT Team: _*I am about to open up tryouts for a few SWAT Team positions and am trying to ...

This week, a military man into bodybuilding emailed me about his recent shoulder injury. It seems sometimes life throws you a curve ball every now and then and freak accidents can occur at the strangest of times. He writes: _“I am an avid lifter. I lift all the time and have done bodybuilding competitions, so you would think I would be ...

With the long days of summer, there are more daylight hours in which to exercise. Many people focus on running and outdoor activities. These days, though, it may be best to stay indoors and do another type of workout instead of breathing polluted air during strenuous cardio activity. In an email this week, I was asked about running during the summer, ...

This week’s email strikes home on a daily basis as we all age and try to do the things we did in our teens and early twenties. Here is an Eight Step explanation of what to do and what NOT to do to keep on going strong. *Stew - I am 41 years old and still try to hang with the ...

This week, I received an email from a former naval officer, who needed to get back moving again. The good news is that he started just before Thanksgiving, which will help him avoid a few extra pounds we gain at parties, imbibing spirits, big sports weekend snacks, Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts, and several other big meals during the Holidays. It all ...

Each year, millions start off the holidays with a rather large meal on Thanksgiving Day followed by a few more days of left over pies, cakes, and candies. Many gain a significant amount of weight. Some estimates say people can gain 5 to 7 pounds in the few weeks of the holidays, but according to a University of Texas SW Medical ...

Sleep... How important is it to those who exercise often as well as to those who do not? Scientists have been studying sleep patterns for decades, so there is plenty of research on the importance of sleep in our daily lives. Sleep also affects performance in between workouts during high intensity training programs like military and law enforcement training. I guess ...

On average, most people can gain five or more pounds a year. That is why in five short years, people step on a scale and cannot believe they are nearly FIFTY pounds overweight. Weight has a way of sneaking up on you over time. You do not get overweight overnight and you do not lose the weight overnight either. Both take ...

"Recovery and Maintenance," We hear these terms often in just about every area of our lives: from improving your fitness and athletic performance and handling stressful professions to maintaining your health with a strong immune system. Typically, most people in the military / law enforcement fitness and health genre ask about how to get stronger for Fitness Tests while working long ...

_Hi Stew I am a 35 year old, 212 lbs Police officer and I run and lift weights for exercise. My goal is to find a weight lifting program to get "cut/ripped", not "big." Do you have a workout program that might help me? Thanks for your work - John T_ Yes, there are plans that will help you with your ...

With battles in an urban environment becoming a part of daily life for both overseas troops and our own police officers here in America, the need to speed programs have never been more applicable to today’s civil servants. There is a need for speed in the military and law enforcement professions. More and more agencies around the United States are adopting ...

Whether you are a military, special operations officer, an athlete, or just a regular person seeking to lose weight, all groups experience similar personal obstacles. Those who succeed in their training programs learn to conquer self-doubt. That is the key to fitness! Every day, excited people join fitness clubs determined to attend classes or workout for an hour a day, five ...

An email from a law enforcement recruit in Wisconsin requested information on how to spice up running on the "dreadmill." He states, _"During the winter time it is nearly impossible to run any timed event due to the 2-3 ft of snow on the ground or ice on the roads. Is treadmill running going to hurt the running ability I am ...

We all are susceptible to lower back injuries– military, law enforcement, advanced athlete, beginning exerciser, or sedentary person – we all get back injuries of some sort. The back injuries seen most in doctor’s offices and chiropractic clinics world wide involve the lower back / hip region and can occur from a variety of different causes. According to Dr. Steve Erle ...

I recently wrote an article on "Adding Balance to Your Life,":http://policelink.monster.com/police-fitness/articles/101253-add-some-balance-to-your-life but it was aimed more at beginners and for those who are losing their balance as they age. People fall everyday due to loss of balance muscles that accompanies a sedentary lifestyle. Spending your 40s, 50s, and 60s not exercising regularly can lead to a variety of broken bones and ...

Every now and then I get a question that requires extra effort to answer. This question required every bit of experience I had to answer. If you are on the fence or how or where to serve your country, please read. Stew I am debating where to serve? Firefighting EMT, Police SWAT, or Military Special Ops. I know you write about ...

Stew Smith CSCS, former Navy SEAL Joins Forces with PoliceLink.com as fitness adviser / writer. I am pleased to start writing a fitness column for PoliceLink.com that will enable me to communicate with law officers on a regular basis, but also, I hope to assist our Heroes of Tomorrow and today with maintaining their fitness level and career longevity. It is ...

I often get emails and questions from people about certain programs, gadgets, fitness videos, GPS devices, music, heart rate monitors, pedometers, I-phone applications, you name it. I get to test much of this new fitness technology out and will either decline to write about it or give it a plug. If you have followed my decade of articles on fitness, you ...

In a fast paced world where the fine line of work and relaxation has been blurred with wireless technology and the development of the home office, workers as well as families have become more and more susceptible to stress-related illnesses. Stress is a natural element of our behavior and our body handles stress by injecting “stress hormones” into our bloodstream when ...